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darwined

I don't agree with the method or the reasoning behind the government shutdown. However, if someone doesn't draw a line in the sand to begin the conversation about government spending we will all be screwed. Unfortunately, both parties have their sacred cows so I'm not holding my breath.

I don't agree with the method or the reasoning behind the government shutdown. However, if someone doesn't draw a line in the sand to begin the conversation about government spending we will all be screwed. Unfortunately, both parties have their sacred cows so I'm not holding my breath.

You've got it all wrong, things are tight, the government is starving for cash. Things are so tight that they voted a pay raise for ALL federal employees as part of the deal. I'm surprised that we are "only" 17 TRILLION in debt the way they spend OUR money, lol.

Budget Deal Includes Federal Pay Raises

The same federal government that could not afford to let elderly veterans visit an open-air memorial during the recent shutdown will somehow find the funds necessary to implement an across-the-board pay increase for federal employees.

According to a joint statement made by Maryland Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin, both Democrats, a one percent pay raise will go into effect in January. This unearned bump is in addition to the back pay government employees will receive for the 16-day vacation that ended Thursday morning.

FWIW - Federal employee salary rates have not been increased since January 2010. Some employees have had their pay frozen that entire time while some have received raises due to promotion, performance, or on advancing up the steps of their pay grades.

FWIW - Federal employee salary rates have not been increased since January 2010. Some employees have had their pay frozen that entire time while some have received raises due to promotion, performance, or on advancing up the steps of their pay grades.

I'm not saying whether or not they deserve it. I just found it funny that they couldn't keep the toilets open at Rumney (where people normally put money in envelopes for the FS but couldn't because it was taped over) but somehow came up with millions for this in the budget deal that was supposed to be saving us money.

Like I said before, it was all a show. Else why did they vote to give all the "furloughed" employees full pay when the "crisis" was still underway? No work and full pay for 16 days? Hell, I'll take that deal any day.

Their intent was to inflict the maximum pain on the most people while not saving a dime. They were successful.

We were for the most part a debtor nation before we were a nation. Many of our founding fathers including George Washington were heavily in debt to British banks and merchants before the Revolution. If Ben Franklin had not been able to secure loans from France to continue the Revolutionary War it is likely we would be a constitutional monarchy as is Canada. And our currency would look even stranger than it does.

Alexander Hamilton battled Jefferson and Madison for the ability of the Federal government to assume the debt incurred by the States during the course of the Revolutionary War. Had he not won the battle the nation without a doubt would have dissolved. The price for his victory? The location of Washington DC. Good job Alexander. Oh by the way George Washington benefited from a bit of land speculation due to the selection of the location of the Capitol. God bless our sacred Founding Fathers. They clearly were saint like!

Lincoln relied on loans from wealthy individuals and corporations to partially fund the war effort. He put up with Salmon Chase, who was an enormous pain in the ass and a wacko, as Secretary of the Treasury because Chase was able to convince individuals and corporations to buy very risky bonds, another word for loaning money, from the Federal government enabling it to continue to prosecute the Civil War. If not for these measures the Civil War might have gone very different and it is very likely we would be a very fractured and weak people with a significantly reduced quality of life and security.

The Reagan and Bush Two administrations very substantially increased the national debt. Clinton's administration substantially decreased the nationally debt. So much for the myth that Republicans are fiscally conservative. Current Republican passion about reducing the national debt is firmly based on political considerations and has nothing to do with economic reality. Dare I say that are hypocrites to the nth degree.

If China and the rest of the world wants to loan us incredible amounts of money at substantially below rational, at least to us, market rates, God bless them. It has a direct impact on my incredibly low house mortgage. They do it because of the stability of our form of government, current bullshit put to the side, ensures that they will get paid back. One way to look at our national debt is that it is a benefit due to our ability as a nation to keep our heads screwed on straight for more than two centuries. If you don't like what is going on in our country go live in Pakistan for a few months and check back with me.

Bush Two's administrations due to his initiating a war in order to enhance his chance of reelection and cutting taxes while dramatically increasing the size of government escalate the national debt at a rate never seen before. Obama's first term due to inheriting the deepest recession in history due to Bush stuffing his banking buddies pockets with money and fighting two wars saw an increase in the national debt. Thus far in his second term the rate of increase of our national debt is steadily decreasing. The point is, does the level of debt really matter? After two hundred years it would seem not.

Yes it is a show. Yes to a certain extent it is a fake. Yes what goes on within the beltway often resembles theater. And yes there are hacks like Boehner who could not get a job pumping gas in his home town who has been videotaped passing out campaign checks from the tobacco industry to congressmen on the floor of the house minutes before a key vote on tobacco legislation. But it is government for, by and of the people. Many of those who serve are good, smart, dedicated people who are determined to do the best they can for our nation. And it is a government that has stood the test of time. We are a nation to which the world looks for guidance and leadership. That speaks to our strengths and our values.

Finally if you don't like what is going on, get involved. Campaign, contribute, vote and run for office. Yes, these things do make a difference!

For all its warts our system of government seems to work pretty well. I for one am damn proud to be an American and feel very blessed to be able to live here.

DISCLOSURE: The above rant was liberally fueled by wine.

Dare I get back on topic, Freddie's piece in the NYT was extremely well done!

Finally if you don't like what is going on, get involved. Campaign, contribute, vote and run for office. Yes, these things do make a difference!

Good rant overall (i like wine myself), though back then they were borrowing REAL money (gold) that people actually had in their possession. When the government borrows money from the Fed now, the fed hits a key on a computer screen and "presto" they create a billion dollars out of thin air. Great work if you can get it.

If you think that the fed is part of the government, then you need to ask yourself "why then does the government have to pay them back with interest?"

Who gets the interest? Follow the trail if you really want to go down the rabbit hole. It is a bunch of banks, most of them foreign.

And as long as you vote for Republicrats or Demicans it does not make a damned bit of difference who you vote for. You might as well write in Bart Simpson.

Lincoln issued debt (Greenbacks) directly from the treasury. No central bank, and no interest payments to them. "Coincidentally," every president (including Kennedy) who was assassinated did the same. Just saying.